Sorcerer Magazine Clippings
by CelestialCircumference
Summary: This will be a collection of drabbles, one-shots, prompts, and contest entries. Ratings and Pairings will likely change throughout, but I'm going to give it a M rating overall just to be safe. You never know where future writings will take you.


This is a little late, but it was written for the prompt challenge at Fairy Flash, a Fairy Tail writer's community on LJ. You can also find it at my LJ, but I wanted to share it here as well. This hasn't been beta read so mistakes are my own. Reviews aren't necessary, but encouraged. I hope you enjoy! - Deni

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><p>Pairing: a nudge of LokixLucy<br>Rating: T  
>Words: 2,306<br>Summary: In the magical fortune-city of Giltraz, anything can happen. Lucy didn't think that 'anything' would include turning a tavern into a site for a rumble. Takes place before the Edolas arc

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><p>The sun had set in the magic city of Giltraz and it was buzzing with nighttime activity. In the merchant district, lanterns lit the walkways where dozens of stalls and carts lined the cobblestone street. Vendors called out specials to compete with their neighbors.<p>

Gray threaded his fingers together behind his head; his eyes followed Natsu as he darted between carts, sampling what the locals had to offer.

"You know we're not here to shop, right?" the ice-mage asked dryly, his mind focused solely on the mission at hand.

Natsu leaned over a case scanning the numerous charms inside. "I'm just looking. You don't have to get so uptight."

Gray shook his head and took notice of an elder woman staring intently at Natsu and himself. He dropped his hands and swatted at the dragon slayer. "You see that?"

"See what?"

"That woman," Gray replied, aggravated. As he went to point in her direction, he was caught by surprise, finding that she was standing right in front of them. Her grey curls bobbed atop her head as she looked between the two men.

"Danger awaits, but spirits and their stars will dance tonight. You must make sure they dance," she commented, staring solemnly at them.

Natsu blinked, confused. "Right, whatever you say."

"Come on." Gray nodded his head toward a side alley and Natsu followed him as he turned to go down it.

Salamander tresses brushed against his forehead as the fire mage looked back over his shoulder, startled to find the women standing there and staring after them. "Hey, Gray, what do you think that lady meant?"

"Who knows? She may have been crazy. I mean, nothing she said made any sense. And I doubt anyone like you could figure it out anyway," he replied with a sly smirk.

"Yeah, I guess you're right- Hey! Take that back!" Natsu shouted, balling his fists.

Gray only laughed at him. "Such a hot-head."

"You should just take it back before I _make_ you."

"I'd like to see you try."

"That's funny, 'cause I feel like trying," Natsu growled in response.

The duo emerged on the other side of the alley and found themselves in the middle of another busy street. A soft breeze came in, stirring up a few wind chimes for sale at a nearby cart. As the various metal and bamboo chimes swayed and sang, Natsu paused noticing a light streak across the sky.

A strange feeling came over him then and the woman's words repeated in his head. His eyes widened; she couldn't have been talking about… He looked over to Gray who had stopped in his tracks; the same look of realization was upon his features.

"Lucy."

Natsu nodded. "Let's go!"

.oOo.

Erza eyed the stalls and the colorful tents suspiciously. The brilliantly lit pathways laid far behind her and in front of her were not the glamorous hotels and grandeur restaurants Giltraz was proud of. Before her now was what the city had been known for just a decade earlier: the fortune magic slums. Many of the fortune tellers here were desperate for work and the way they called out to her showed it.

"Looking for someone? I can help you."

"Will you be with your love again? 100 jewels and you can find out!"

"Oh, great warrior! Where will combat lead you? Your future is yours for a small fee."

Erza leveled the woman with a glare. "My future will still be mine even if I don't pay you. I'm not interested in your magic."

The other self-proclaimed oracles nearby murmured and hissed at Erza's outburst. She narrowed her eyes with a huff and turned to continue on her way only to come face to face with an older woman.

"Excuse me." The S-class mage stepped around her, but paused as she felt a hand upon her.

"Danger awaits, but spirits and their stars will dance tonight. You must make sure they dance."

Erza was baffled by the words, but the lady pulled away from her and continued to mutter about dancing. Shaking the strange occurrence away, Erza continued on past chain-linked fences and stray cats. She paused at the fork in the road, glancing down both paths. With a heavy sigh she looked up, catching a swift twinkle falling across the sky.

"A shooting star," she mumbled.

An unusual feeling swept over her, intuition prompting her to turn around. Something wasn't right… Shock hit her then.

"Lucy!" She turned on her heel and ran back the way she came.

.oOo.

The warmth of the smoky bar stuck to Lucy like a second skin. The scent of tobacco, booze, and sweat permeated the air and most of the conversation around her was drowned out by the band on stage. The bluesy guitar and smoldering voice bled through the speakers as Lucy sat, her eyes shifting among the patrons.

Her hands circled the cold mug before she raised it to her lips, taking a sip of the brew. She fought back a cringe; it was nothing like what she was used to drinking at the guild. She sighed to herself. Why did she have to be stuck here? Alone? She knew that Giltraz was a large city and that there was no way they could cover it while staying together, so splitting up seemed like the logical thing to do. Her gaze traveled across the rowdy bar room and she pouted. But why did she get stuck coming here? This was no place for a lady such as herself.

"Useless," she muttered into her drink before swallowing another bitter mouthful of it. There was no way that they could forfeit this job either, they needed it. She needed to make rent and these rogue mages were worth a pretty jewel.

"Hey, there little lady. Can I buy you a drink?" said a rough voice.

"I have one," she replied wryly, holding her cup up for him to see. She wasn't interested in drinking with anyone. She was interested in finding these damn mages.

"Then how about a dance?" he inquired.

Her delicate brow furrowed as she looked up. The middle-aged brunet man was standing in front of her table, one hand coolly in his pocket while the other sat flirtatiously near her arm on the table. Dance? To this music? She shook her head. "Sorry, I don't think so."

The looming man leaned down against her table, dark eyes narrowing on her bosom. He grinned dangerously. "I was trying to give you the chance to say yes. I hate being forceful with broads, but you're leaving me little choice. Dance with me."

With a soft sigh, Lucy set down her glass with a thunk. "Get lost."

His eye ticked, dumbfounded that he had been spoken to in such a manner. "Wh-what?"

Sensing that the air around her changed – and the deadly glare of half a dozen men – Lucy chuckled nervously. "I don't dance, sorry."

His large hand circled her wrist, gripping her painfully hard. "That's why the man leads."

Then suddenly Lucy found herself being spun around, and she fought to hold onto her balance as she gripped the back of a chair to steady herself. She glanced up, noticing the familiar spike and splay of blond hair. Sliding the shades down the bridge of his nose, he peered over the lenses at her. "Hi, Lucy."

"Loki!"

"Boss?"

Lucy turned away from the Celestial Spirit at the cry and suddenly felt very uneasy as the men who were associated with the goon directed heavy glares toward them.

Loki calmly stepped in front of her and turned to face down the men. "I believe she said she wasn't interested. It would do you some good to listen."

One of the men shouted, "You little brat!"

"Is this what you call gallantly coming to my aid?" Lucy asked as she came to stand just behind him. She could feel the mood shift and her hand rested on the handle of her whip.

The Lion only flashed a confident grin at her. "No one gets to dance with you but me."

A small blush spread over the apple of her cheeks, but she quickly shook it off. "You still have to ask properly, you know."

"Of course," he replied and then curled his fingers into his palm as the first man came running at them.

A loud _crack_ echoed in the tavern, above what Lucy finally realized was silence. The band had stopped playing and the other guests were watching them closely. This wasn't good. The hot-headed man that ran at them crumpled to the ground after a single punch and Loki looked quite smug about it.

He really was combative by nature.

"Get him!"

The attack seemed to come from all sides. The gang charged at them with angry shouts and angrier fists. Lucy pulled her whip free as four others came at them. She wasn't as experienced as others in the guild when it came to hand to hand or melee combat, but she knew how to crack her whip and how to defend herself. While Loki was busy taking on two men at once, Lucy raised her whip, slinging her arm forward and cracking another fighter on his chest. Reeling from the pain, he doubled over rubbing at the sore wound.

Next thing she knew, she was being bent forward as Loki maneuvered her to the other side, narrowly avoiding a thrown chair. They shared a brief look and she silently thanked him before he was throwing a kick into the gut of another goon. He was so busy fighting that he wasn't aware of someone else coming up behind him.

Lucy knew it was her turn to save him. Lashing forward, the end of her whip wrapped around a glass bottle and she threw it against the man before he reached Loki. She smiled as he caught her gaze and the fight continued. And as if that wasn't enough, the band picked up their instruments and kept playing as if the mage and her spirit were putting on a show and they were providing the score.

By the time the fight was over, the rest of the patrons in the bar had erupted into a brawl of their own. Through her rough panting, Lucy smiled at Loki who was breathing just as hard and reciprocating the kind gesture. He held out his hand and she took it, allowing him to pull her closer to him and out of the path of a serving tray-turned-projectile.

"I could have dealt with that guy on my own," she commented.

"I know," he replied. "But I told you I'd have your back. So, now that it's taken care of, would you like to dance?"

She laughed and while she knew that she should leave and continue her search, she also knew that there wasn't any way that she could turn him down. Besides, Gray, Natsu, and Erza were still on the hunt. And she had heard he wasn't a bad dancer… After that little brush with violence, it would be okay for her to take a moment for herself, right?

"Just one," she agreed, giving in.

Loki's arm wrapped around her waist as his other free hand took hers. They were silent for a moment, bodies tuning into the rhythm and remaining aware of the flying debris accompanied with shouts and smacks.

"Thanks, Loki."

"Hm?" He glanced down at her, curious to what she was thanking him for.

"For coming anyway," she clarified.

He led them to the side turning her out of the way of a soaring bottle. "I'll always come for you, whether you ask or not, Lucy."

He surprised her then by leaning down and pressing a soft kiss to her mouth. It was brief, sincere, and just a faint nudge of his tongue against her lips before he pulled away. Wide-eyed, she stared at him in blissful shock. Then she felt her cheeks get warm and she averted her eyes. Maybe she had been too hasty in marking him off the potential list of boyfriends. Still, she knew…

"I'm happy to have you."

Her confession made him smile. "Me, too."

"And to think, if you hadn't… If I hadn't found you that day, then…"

He spun her to the side- cutting off her words- and then back in, pulling her even closer than she had been before. "Destiny brought us together and I'm grateful. Now, do you mind? I'm trying to dance here."

She shook her head with a laugh and then rested against him as they swayed to the rhythm.

.oOo.

Natsu yelled out in surprise as he rounded the corner of the tavern that Lucy was scouting out and crashed into Erza. Erza, of course, was prepared for just about everything and without thinking, pushed him back in defense.

"What the hell, Erza?" Natsu shouted.

"Erza? What are you doing here?" Gray asked as he bent over to catch his breath.

She gazed down at them. "Good question. What are you two doing here?"

"We just got this funny feeling."

"Yeah, some lady was saying some crazy stuff about spirits," Natsu explained as he rose to his feet.

"That's strange," the female knight muttered to herself.

Suddenly there was a loud crash as a large mass of something came out of the window, scattering glass to the ground. The heap turned out to be a person upon inspection and the three mages shared worried looks. Freeing her sword, Erza kicked open the doors to the pub.

The trio froze, mouths agape at the scrambled crowd of bodies tangled together with flying fists and debris. But in the middle of it all were Loki and Lucy, dancing as if they were the only ones there.


End file.
